Spiders and Skeletons
by Chris Magician
Summary: With the defeat of Myotismon, the Digi-Destined feel entitled to some well deserved down time. But a strange Digimon seems to have other plans, and they aren't pleasent.


Gendamon climbed laboriously over the towering mountain __

Magician's Note: This little abomination happens to be a sequel. For those in the audience who are vision impaired and cannot read this, I'll state that it is the followup to a story called _Ticketed Items Only_, which I expect very few people have read.

Sigh.

Anyway, if you are intending to read this one, please enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing this series, and I hope you have a good time as well.

*********

Gendamon climbed laboriously over the towering mountain. He had scaled much taller steeper mountains in his search, but the excitement of feeling that he was finally getting close, not to mention the day's incredible humidity, made the going hard. 

"_Especially if you have fur,_" he thought, stepping from one slope to another. His spindly legs found footholds easily, but the mountain kept moving. That was the main problem he faced. And it wasn't that there was an earthquake, or even a slight tremor; it was simply that wherever he put his foot down, the ground would sag inward, as if he were moving along a pile of Jell-O. The mountain trembled slightly and he took another step. He took another, and another, then suddenly stopped. A huge, painless jolt slammed through him, and he staggered around Then he recovered, and looked down at the hairy black ground, then up toward the cloudless sky. "_This is it,_" his brain was screaming, "_this is what you've been searching for!_"

If this was it, he wondered, then _what_ was it? Nothing seemed to have changed. He sighed and decided to take a break, lowering himself onto the mountain. Almost immediately, he sprang back up. He looked toward the spot he had been sitting on, and jumped back in astonishment. Nestled in the snarled hair covering the mountain was a small black object. Clipped onto either side of it were small, semi-triangular objects, one gold, and the other silver. He bent down and plucked it off, using the three claws at the end of one of his legs. All at once, the ground started to rumble. Now it wasn't simply bowing in when he stepped on it, it really was shaking. Clutching the object in his teeth, he made a mad dash for the edge of the mountain, trying to ignore the fact that far below him, he could hear something roaring.

************

Matt wiped the sweat off his brow and sat up. This was the fourth night in a row he had had this particular nightmare, although his repertoire had grown considerably since arriving in the Digi-World. The most disturbing part was that there was something so familiar about the voice…but he could never tell what. It always ended before he could figure it out. And to make matters worse, he could never remember the whole thing except for the few moments right after he woke up. With a sigh, he got up and looked around.

"_What time is it_?" he wondered, seeing that none of the other kids were in the cave. He stepped outside, still trying to shake off the bad feeling the dream gave him, when he saw Tai. He watched with curiosity for a minute, then walked over.

"What are you doing?" he asked, staring as Tai picked another stick off the ground. "I thought it was Mimi's day to find firewood." Tai looked sheepishly at him.

"Yeah, well…she's still kinda mad about that whole pillow thing…" he trailed off and went for another stick, then paused. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a rough night. Tai, it's been two months." 

"I know that," Tai said. 

"Then why are you still doing all her work for her?" Matt asked, exasperated.

"I dunno," Tai said, avoiding Matt's gaze, "I just thought…well…you know, I'm supposed to be the leader. I guess I didn't want to make her any madder."

"All you did was use her stupid purse as a pillow for half an hour. I really don't think you need to do _this_ much."

"Right," Tai sighed. He wandered around for a moment, no destination apparent.

"So just tell her you think you've paid what you owe, and that she can do her own chores again," Matt said calmly.

"Easy for you to say," Tai grumbled, "you don't know how good her left hook is."

"You're not afraid of _Mimi_, are you Tai?" Matt asked, grinning a little.

"No way!" said Tai, offended.

"Then go tell her you're not her slave anymore." Tai sighed again.

"I guess you're right. But…"

"But what?"

"Do you think you could stand in front of me when I tell her?"

************

The ground shook violently, and Gendamon was launched off it and into the air. He looked around frantically, and spotted a tree. Firing a sticky line of web from his mouth to a branch, he swung down to the ground. He hit hard and got the wind knocked out of him, but had avoided a fall.

"_Not one my better landings,_" he thought, turning to look up at the mountain. To his astonishment, it was shrinking. Not slowly either, but visibly growing smaller, right before his eyes. It shrank for almost fifteen minutes, and ever so slowly, the mountain gave way to a humanoid Digimon. It groaned and sat up. After a moment, it spotted Gendamon.

"Who...are you?" it croaked.

"Gendamon," he said, eyeing it suspiciously. "Who are you?" The stranger looked down at himself. Evidence of clothing, although most of it had been torn to nothing, was hanging from his body. His skin was a pale blue, and had a sickly shade to it. Unkempt blonde hair hung down his back and over his shoulders, which were covered with the angry red scars of recent wounds. A red mask, in the shape of a bat but missing one wing, covered his eyes and upper face.

"I am Myotismon," the stranger said, looking at the ground around him. "Where is it?" he asked, more to himself than to Gendamon. There was a frantic edge to his voice.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Gendamon asked, holding up the object he had found. Myotismon gasped.

"That's mine! Give it to me!" He lunged forward weakly, but Gendamon dodged easily.

"No. You said you're Myotismon?"

"Yes, yes. I'm Myotismon. Now give that to me!" He tried another grab, but his opposition skipped just of his reach.

"Did you have a someone working for you? A little winged monster, DemiDevimon?" Myotismon paused.

"Yes, I did." He frowned behind the remains of his mask. "Why?"

"I just thought you might like to know he's dead." Myotismon's eyes opened a little wider.

"Dead? How do you know? Where did you see him?"

"I found him by the ocean. And I know he's dead because I killed him." 

"Hmm. Not much of a loss…but why? I doubt he was a threat." Gendamon was a bit disappointed by Myotismon's response, but he pressed on undaunted.

"I killed him," he said, still holding the object away from the vampire, "because he worked for you." This time, the reaction was satisfactory. Myotismon stopped his grabs and took a step back.

"What?" he asked, staring in disbelief at Gendamon.

"He admitted it readily," Gendamon said, pretending not to have heard Myotismon. "He even seemed proud of it. I asked where he could possibly find pride in working for scum like you," Myotismon gave a small growl at this, "but he just kept saying that you were the true ruler of the Digi-World."

"_Maybe I shouldn't have eaten him after all_," Myotismon thought.

"So I killed him. I don't think you really care, but I did."

"Why?" Myotismon asked, completely baffled. He had thought that the monster before him was simply someone who had come along by chance, but it was seeming less and less likely that this was the case.

"Because he was loyal to you. I've traveled all over the continent, searching out Digimon loyal to you. And do you know what I did to every one I found?"

"I think I can guess," Myotismon said coldly. Gendamon nodded.

"I killed them too. Thanks to me, you have far fewer troops now."

"But _why_?" Myotismon demanded.

"Because," said Gendamon. Until now, his face had been expressionless, almost serene, but now it twisted into a mask of hate. "Because of this." He held up the Black Digivice. "This is the reason I tracked down your people. Tracked them down and destroyed them."

"I…I don't understand," Myotismon said. His voice had gone rapidly from commanding to a harsh whisper. For the first time he could remember, he was scared. It was made even worse by the fact that he had no idea _why_.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Gendamon spat, "but I will tell you some of my reason. You tried to take what wasn't yours, tried to steal it, and now you'll pay. You claimed to be the master of the Digital World, but you were wrong. You gained power, but you've lost it now, because _I_ know what has to happen. I know what your penance has to be." To Myotismon's astonishment, he brought the Digivice to his mouth, put it inside, and swallowed. "Don't look so worried," Gendamon said, looking at him scornfully, "it won't be damaged. Not that it's any concern to you."

"Give it back," Myotismon snarled, finding his voice again, "give it back you pathetic little worm!"

"I'm looking forward to seeing you try and make me," Gendamon said. He gave a nasty, taunting smile. Myotismon sized up the creature before him. Or rather, sized _down_, as he seemed to be only a Rookie. His entire body was made up of a small, slightly oblong ball covered with soft gray fur. It hung between four spider-like legs, each of which ended in a three-pronged claw. His face was simple, consisting of four yellow eyes, and a mouth from which two small fangs protruded.

"I don't think you're being realistic," Myotismon said, also laughing a little. He extended his hand. "I'll give you one chance. Give me the Digivice." Gendamon smiled.

"No."

"Have it your way," Myotismon said, frustrated. "_Crimson Lightning!_" Red light flashed from his hands, but Gendamon wasn't there when it hit the spot he had been standing on. "What?" Myotismon looked around and found the spider standing behind him.

"Is it my turn now?" he asked lightly. Myotismon's eyes narrowed.

"All right. Amuse me with your antics." Gendamon's smile widened. At least, that was what it looked like at first. 

Then Myotismon realized that his smile wasn't widening, it was bulging out. His entire mouth protruded slowly for a moment, then, with an ear splitting shriek, exploded outward. His face shredded as if it had been a Halloween mask. The tiny fangs vanished, and glistening insect mouthparts took their place. His four eyes turned into eight bulbous black hemispheres, lining his entire face. His body grew two more segments and four more legs, and then started to expand. Myotismon's mouth hung open in terror as he stared at the hideous creature, which was staring hungrily back at him.

************

Tai peeked around mouth of the cave and scanned it for Mimi. Seeing no sign of her, he cautiously stepped inside.

"Oh well," he said happily, "I guess she's not here."

"She's around, "Matt said, also entering, "I saw her just a few minutes ago."

"But she's not here now," said Tai, turning around, "let's go find some more firewood, and tell her later. 'Kay?" Matt's hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"How about we just wait here until she gets back?" Matt suggested, shoving Tai down on a rock. Tai quivered.

"Um…you know Matt, I'm not so sure about this. I mean, I kinda _like_ looking for firewood. It's very relaxing. Unlike what we're doing right now."

"Tai," Matt said, exasperated, "you're acting like a baby. This is Mimi we're talking about, not some big drooling monster."

"Apparently, you've never seen her when she's asleep," Tai muttered.

"Bad timing," Matt said, looking over his shoulder. 

"Huh?" Tai's head swung around. Standing in the mouth of the cave was Mimi, silhouetted by the afternoon sun and looking very, very angry. She pointed at Matt.

"Out." Matt leapt to his feet and patted Tai on the shoulder.

"Good luck, man." He dashed out.

"Hey!" Tai shouted. "What happened to all that 'its only Mimi' stuff?" 

"Only Mimi?" she asked, her eyes widening. "_Only Mimi_?" Tai swallowed.

************

The towering creature moved one leg forward and gave a hard kick. Myotismon went flying, and landed in a heap. He started to get up but found himself pinned down but a huge clawed foot.

"Amused?" the monster rasped. "I know I am." It released the pressure on Myotismon's back. "Get up." Breathing hard, he climbed unstably to his feet. "Attack me." Myotismon stared in disbelief.

"What?"

"Attack me," Gendamon repeated. Not needing to be told a third time, the vampire lashed out, but his attack seemed to have no effect. "Disappointing." Gendamon swung two legs out. The first caught Myotismon under the chin, snapping his head back. Dazed from the first hit, he lost track where the second had landed. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into Gendamon's. "I'd hoped for more of a fight," he whispered, "but I'll have to be satisfied with this, as you won't be around much longer." 

"You…can't win…" Myotismon gasped, actually believing it.

"Of course I can. Watch." Myotismon watched very closely. In fact, he had very little choice in the matter. 

************

Matt walked out into a clearing, feeling a bit guilty. He didn't really think Mimi would do anything too drastic, but if she wasn't, then why had he run? He pulled himself away from his thoughts as he spotted the other Digi-Destined standing around on the grass, sweating in the immense heat and obviously discussing something. After a moment, they all walked away from each other and got into a pattern.

"_Football,_" he thought, amused. "_They're playing football._" He walked a little further, and Sora spotted him.

"Hey, Matt," she called, waving, "come on, you're just in time!" He jogged over.

"What are the teams?" he asked, wondering whose side he should pick. 

"People against Digimon," said Gomamon excitedly, "can we eat the ball now?"

"Eat the ball?" Matt repeated. He shot Sora a confused look, and she rolled her eyes. 

"Well, there's not exactly a sporting goods store around, so we had to improvise." She showed him their makeshift ball.

"Oh," Matt said, stifling a laugh, "a dried up old watermelon." Gomamon nodded eagerly.

"Yea, and whoever wins gets to eat it!" Matt looked at Sora questioningly.

"It got 'em to play, didn't it?" she asked with a grin. Matt did laugh this time, then took a stance next to Joe. The way he was near-cowering, Matt figured he would need all the help he could get.

"Blue forty-two," Agumon bellowed, "hut, hut, hut…" He 'hutted' on for a few more seconds.

"Hike," Sora prompted.

"Oh. Right," Agumon said sheepishly, then added, "hike!" He pitched the ball back to Gabumon, who seemed to turn into a freight train. Sora jumped in front of him and tried to tag him out, but Gabumon barreled right through her.

"_Touch_ football!" she screamed from her new position on the ground. "We're playing _touch_ football!"

"Sorry," said Gabumon, not sounding at all apologetic. He tossed the ball up in the air, and Matt spotted Patamon swooping toward it. 

"Boom Bubble , _pah!_" he shouted. A concentrated air blast smacked the ball and sent it flying into Palmon's waiting vines. She took off down the field, aiming for a pair of sticks stuck in the ground. Assuming these marked the touchdown line, Matt ran toward her. He caught up easily and gave her a light tag, but the monsters had already gained a lot of ground.

"No attacks this time," said Sora, as they started running again.

"Easy for you to say," Agumon called, "you don't have stumpy little legs!" Gabumon passed the watermelon/ball to Biyomon. She had a little trouble at first, but got it tucked under her wing and took off downfield. Sora came around behind her, snatched the ball, and dashed the other way. Biyomon turned around and gave her a devastated look.

"That was so mean," she said, her voice quavering. Big tears started rolling down her cheeks, but most of it got stuck in her feathers. Sora seemed to stall, and turned around.

"I…I'm sorry," she said, flustered, "I…that's just…it's how you play the game." She sounded halfhearted and unconvinced by her own explanation. Biyomon sniffled. Sora looked around, as if expecting some help, but no one was there. All at once, her hands flew up and the ball hit the ground. "I dropped it!" she called. "Doesn't count!" She turned to make sure Biyomon was okay, but she was gone.

Simultaneously, seven frantic humans shouted, "Sora!" Looking up, she saw with dismay that her Digimon was quite all right. Not a trace of a tear was on her face, and the ball was clutched firmly in her claws as she flew away.

"Thanks, Sora!" Biyomon called cheerfully, and continued to flap. Sora stared in amazement.

************

Gennai stepped out onto his front steps with a big yawn. His breakfast was cooking inside, and he had a cup of Digital coffee in one hand. He walked to the small bridge running over his pond and looked down to admire his fish. 

His fish weren't there.

He peered a little closer, and saw a very strange object in the stream, water splashing lightly over it.

"Huh," he said thoughtfully.

************

"Stop her! Stop her!" Sora shouted, running down the field after Biyomon. Izzy pulled out a small pocket calculator and began furiously tapping keys.

"Relative wind speed combined with the ratio of flaps per second and with the added weight of the ball plus my current position…" he murmured, glancing up at Biyomon, then back down at the calculator. He pocketed it and stood perfectly still, as if waiting for something.

"Izzy!" Matt called. "Don't just stand there, try and tag her!" Izzy waited until Biyomon was directly above him, pursed his lips, and gave a tiny blow. With a shout, the bird seemed to lose her stride and tumbled down. She managed to catch herself before she hit the ground, but Izzy snagged the ball and started running. 

"How'd you do that?" Matt asked, running along side him. Izzy grinned.

"Physics!"

"How…can…a kid…with…such…little legs…" panted Agumon, chasing Izzy as fast as he could, "run…so fast?" Gabumon, also trying to catch up, made a wheezing sound.

"_I've never made a touchdown before,_" Izzy thought happily, "_but I wonder who's making that beeping sound?_" He looked around and realized it was coming from behind him, or rather from his computer, which he hadn't taken off. Abruptly, he sat down on the grass and opened it up. This was unfortunate because the pursuing Digimon, who had been almost on top of him, suddenly were. "Get off," Izzy cried from underneath them, "I've got email from Gennai!" The two rolled off and peered at the screen.

"What does it say?" Gabumon asked. The other kids came up behind them and also looked.

"Gennai says he wants us to come and meet him right away," Izzy read. He stood up and swung his computer back into its strap. "We'd better go."

"Good thing we found a cave so close to his house," Matt said as they walked off the field.

"I've been wondering about that," Joe said suddenly, "why do we live in a cave if we could just stay with Gennai?"

"Because the genius author didn't think of that until the first story had already been posted," said Gomamon through a mouthful of dry watermelon.

"Oh," said Joe quietly, "I hadn't thought of that."

"That was the problem."

"Yeah," said Joe. There was a moment of silence.

"What was the point of that conversation?" asked Matt.

"I dunno," said Gomamon.

************

After rescuing Tai from Mimi, which turned out to be a harder task than anyone had expected, the kids set off for Gennai's. Once the pyrotechnics were over and the lake had split, they proceeded down the stairs.

"Wow," Kari breathed, looking at the pink sky, "I didn't think it would look like _this._"

"I'm rather proud of it myself," said Gennai, stepping out from behind the bridge.

"Hey, Gennai," Tai said, limping forward, "long time no see!"

"Good to see you too," said Gennai. He patted Tai on the shoulder, then paused. "Are you all right? You're walking a little strangely." Tai shot Mimi a nervous glance.

"Me? Nah! I'm fine!" Izzy stepped forward.

"What was it you wanted to show us, Gennai?" he asked.

"Two things, actually," said Gennai, "the first is this wonderful new Digi-Battle card game. It comes with sixty-two full color cards, detailed instructions, and a playing mat as well!" An envelope full of money and printed with the Bandai symbol fell out of the sky and landed in Gennai's hand.

Izzy rolled his eyes and asked, "What's the second?"

"That's inside," said Gennai, "follow me." He led them into the house and went to get whatever it was. 

"I sure do wish I had a five-inch, Digivolving, Patamon action figure right now," said TK with a wistful sigh. Another envelope of money placed itself discreetly in his back pocket. Gennai then returned, bearing a large tray that was partially covered with a blue cloth.

"I found this in my fish pond this morning," he said, setting it down on the counter. "I hope no one has a weak stomach." Joe swallowed, then passed out. Gennai had pulled the cloth off and the Digi-Destined were now staring at something's still-slightly-juicy skeleton.

"Oh, gag!" said Tai, wrinkling his nose. "What the heck is it?"

"Well," Gennai pulled a small pointer out of his pocket and tapped a spot in the tray, "if you'll observe the peculiar shape of the scapulas, or shoulder bones, then it would be logical to guess that this was---"

"Myotismon…" Sora whispered. She covered her mouth and took a step back. Gennai nodded.

"Correct. We can only assume that something found him in the state he was left in after the last battle, and then…"

"…killed him," finished Matt. "But why? How? He was a helpless pile of blubber! I mean, if you didn't know what you were looking at, you could've mistaken him for a mountain!" Gennai shrugged.

"I really have no idea. But it is logical to assume that Myotismon would have made a lot of enemies during his conquest. One of them could have become even more powerful then him, found him, and taken their revenge. Notice the broken ribcage, and damaged spine, and I'd guess that he was impaled by something."

"But who could possibly do that to Myotismon? And what could they do it with?" Tai asked, awestruck. 

"Again, I have no idea. But I doubt it's safe for you to stay anywhere but here for the time being."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked. "If there's something out there that did _this_ to _him_, then we need to make sure it's not a threat to anyone else!" After seeing the skeleton, his recurring dream had come back in a rush. For the first time, he could recall every detail, and he was suddenly certain that this had something to do with the voice.

"Until we know exactly what this thing is," said Izzy, "I have to agree with Gennai; we should stay here."

"That's not to say we can't send out scouting teams to try and find it," Gennai added, "but we can't just rush headlong into a situation we haven't even assessed yet." Matt nodded slowly.

"I guess you're right. I just don't like the idea of sitting here and doing nothing while some super-powerful monster goes traipsing around the Digi-World."

"We certainly won't be doing nothing," Gennai assured him, "but you'll need some additional firepower if you actually find it. That's why I've taken the liberty of calling a friend of ours."

"Friend?" Mimi asked. "Who?"

"Greetings and salutations, good customers!" Retailmon bellowed, stepping out from behind Gennai's curtains.

************

For the first time in years, Gendamon felt at peace. He had wiped out the scourge of the Digital World, and had finally found the object of his longing. What it was, he didn't know, but he was sure it was good. He paused to rest under a tree, and was suddenly racked with pain. It was as if his stomach was trying to wrench itself free from his body, and he realized what was happening.

"_It's trying to leave,_" he thought in alarm, "_after all my searching, it wants to leave me behind!_" Desperately, he tried to ignore the feeling that his insides were being ripped apart, but to no avail. Unable to keep control any longer, he let the object come up. The two of them lay on the ground for a moment, then it took off through the air. He jumped up, trying to shake off the residual cramps, and chased after it. He absently noticed that the two clips had vanished, and only the black part had remained. As he raced through the undergrowth, he found himself marveling that things could change so fast.

************

"Retailmon!" Tai cried. "What are you doing here?" Retailmon's teeth glittered.

"I received a call from one of my very best customers!" he said, swinging an arm companionably around Gennai's shoulder.

"Best customers?" Matt repeated. "Gennai, you buy stuff from Retailmon?"

"Of course," said Gennai. "Where do you think I get all the pretzels and peanuts my fish eat? In case you hadn't noticed, there aren't any malls in the Digi-World."

"Yeah," Mimi grumbled, "I noticed."

"But with your old pal Retailmon," he cried, "you don't _need_ a mall!" He let go of Gennai and did a little soft-shoe to further his point.

"Um…yeah," said Tai uncertainly, "hey, Gennai said something about more firepower. Do you have something new?"

"Do I? Do I ever!" Retailmon said, grinning even wider. He snapped his fingers and his briefcase came flying out of nowhere.

"I'm sure glad we were inside this time," Matt said, "I'd hate to get hit on—_OW_!!" Retailmon's briefcase took a slight detour, smacked Matt on the back of the head, then swerved and landed at Retailmon's feet. "What is this?" he cried angrily.

"My apologies," Retailmon said, handing Matt an ice pack, "my briefcase is programmed to seek out the being with the most aggression and, er, incapacitate them. Sort of a self-protection device."

"Well can you turn it off?"

"Possibly. But for now," Retailmon said, reaching into the briefcase, "let's concentrate on the task at hand. I have four new Ultimate Digivolution clips…" he handed them to Tai, "…a second Digi-Merger…" he set that down on a table, "…as well as a brand new invention!"

"A new invention?" Tai asked, excited. "What is it?"

"It's a diabolical little device of mine," said Retailmon, again digging in the briefcase, "that I call the Edible Digivolution clips."

"_Edible_?" Tai asked, disbelieving. "What do they do, make our Digimon nutritious and delicious?" Agumon swallowed.

"Of course not!" Retailmon said with a laugh. "Once attached to your Digivices, it will provide your Digimon with enhanced abilities based on whatever they last ate."

"Why is it diabolical?" Sora asked. Retailmon shrugged.

"It suppose it isn't, really. I just wanted to invent something diabolical." He handed her one of the attachments, and she looked at it with surprise.

"It's shaped like an apple," she said. Kari leaned forward, and Sora showed it to her. "Why'd you make it look like an apple?" Retailmon shrugged again.

"I wanted to be sure it would get the point across. You see apple, you think food, and you automatically know what it is."

"O—kay," said Sora, stretching the word out, "if you say so."

"I don't get it," said Mimi.

"Big surprise," muttered Tai. Mimi, whose hearing was actually a lot better than Tai had ever guessed, dragged him outside by his goggles. She poked her head in and smiled politely at Retailmon.

"Don't wait for me," she called, "the others can fill me in later." The door closed. 

"What's she doing?" Gennai asked.

"Long story," said Matt.

"But to make it short," Retailmon said quickly, "here's an example. Let's say that Kari places a clip on her Digivice, and that Gatomon then eats, oh, a piece of quartz. She might then Digivolve into CrystalAngewomon, and have attacks based on her new form."

"Amazing," said Izzy, taking a clip. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Retailmon."

"Let's go try them!" said TK. "I wanna make Patamon into ChocolatePatamon!" 

"W-why would you want to do that?" Patamon asked, fluttering back a little. TK just smiled. Retailmon gave each of them a clip and they went outside. Matt glanced around the yard and found that Mimi was sitting on the bridge, looking down at the water.

"Uh, Mimi?" he asked, walking over. "Where's Tai?"

"Around," said Mimi nonchalantly. 

"Help!" Tai shouted from somewhere.

"Tai?" Matt called, looking around. "Where are you?"

"She tied me to the bottom of the bridge!" Tai screamed. "Get me down!"

************

The black object swooped down over the trees and dropped from Gendamon's line of sight. He ran to the place he guessed it would have landed, but all he found was a caterpillar-type creature, which he recognized to be a Kunemon. 

"Excuse me," he, said, walking up to it, "but have you seen any strange things flying around?" The Kunemon tilted its head to one side and stared blankly at him. Realizing how foolish he must sound, he added, "It was a small black object with a screen on it." Nothing. "About the size of a small apple?" he coaxed. Still no response. "Look," he said angrily, "this is very important, and you're not being very helpful. Now tell me or I'll--" The Kunemon suddenly lunged forward, its head stretching into a mouth of insane proportions, filled with teeth that were just as unrealistic. Gendamon jumped back in astonishment. Kunemon didn't even _have_ mouths, yet this one possessed the largest he had ever seen. "Ah…" he said, backing up.

"_SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!_" said the Kunemon, again trying to take a bite out of him. Gendamon swung a clawed leg forward and caught his attacker under its huge chin. It looked dazed for a moment, then collapsed. Something sprang off it, like a coat of heavy black dust, and flew into the sky.

"_That was it!_" he thought. "_Follow it!_"

************

"Let's start small," Retailmon suggested. He handed Gabumon a pebble. "Swallow that." Gabumon gulped it down, then looked at Matt.

"Go ahead," he said. Matt snapped the oddly-shaped clip onto his Digivice. Whistling became audible, and Gabumon glowed yellow.

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…GravelGarurumon!"

"Oh boy," said Izzy, covering his face with his hand. Garurumon looked exactly like his name would suggest: a huge wolf made entirely of gravel.

"It's the Ultimate Armor clips all over again," said Sora.

"Very odd," Retailmon said. He looked Garurumon over thoughtfully. "Usually, their forms turn out very powerful. I guess we'll have to delete that one. Take the clip off and we'll do it with something else."

"Can opener?" Matt requested, holding out his hand.

"Power Reverse Detachment Device," corrected Retailmon, handing him one. Matt snapped the clip off, and Gabumon returned to normal.

"What did you mean, 'delete'?" asked Izzy.

"The clip stores every form it creates," said Retailmon, "so they won't have to eat whatever it was every time they want to Digivolve back into it."

"Good thinking," Izzy said, nodding.

"So what do we try now?" asked Mimi. "How about a powder puff? Then we could have Cover Girl Lillymon."

"Waste of time," Tai said quietly.

"I think your problem," said Mimi, swinging around to face him, "is that your mouth moves when you think." Tai cringed involuntarily. 

"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?"

"I don't know," said Mimi, "I just might."

"I have an idea," said TK, ignoring them. He turned to Patamon, whispered something, and Patamon nodded. 

"What are you two doing?" asked Sora, trying to see.

"Nothing," said TK, blocking his Digimon from view. 

"I can hear crunching," she said, "I know he's eating something." TK snapped the clip on before Sora could stop him.

"Patamon, Digivolve to…Hyperactive_Metal_Patamon!" Patamon flashed brightly, grew about four feet bigger, and ceased to look anything like his original self. His wings had vanished, replaced by gigantic turbines, and his legs were substantially longer. The main difference though, was that every inch of him was covered with highly buffed steel.

"What did you feed him?" Sora asked, her mouth hanging open. 

"A can of Surge and a ball bearing," said TK proudly. Patamon's turbines rotated to face the ground with a mechanical buzz. Blue fire spewed from the inside them, and he blasted off. 

"Wheeee…!" he cried happily, shooting around the pinkish clouds. Sora watched, then her eyes widened.

"Duck!" she shouted, throwing herself on the ground. Matt looked up and saw with alarm that Patamon was hurtling toward them at breakneck speed. He dropped down beside her just as the Digimon rocketed past the spot where their heads had been a moment earlier.

"I think these clips may be too dangerous," he gasped.

"Only for _some_ people," said Sora, glaring at TK. He laughed nervously and shrugged. Patamon landed and dashed over.

"Hey TK, TKTKTK," he said breathlessly, "I think I can do something really neat, wanna see? Doyadoyadoya huh?"

"Okay!" TK said eagerly. Matt and Sora watched with fascination as Patamon's midsection stretched out and reformed into a padded seat, and handlebars and a windshield slid out from his head. "Patamon!" TK shouted gleefully, "you're a rocket bike!" He saddled his newfound vehicle and they were gone in a second.

"Wait!" Matt yelled, running over. "You don't have a helmet on!"

"I'm sure he heard you, mom," Sora said with a grin. Matt flushed, then shrugged.

"I just want to take care of him."

"No one's teasing you for that," she assured him, then paused as Gennai approached. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking that Patamon's new body would be excellent for those scouting missions we were talking about. 

I'd like to get started right away, if no one minds."

"I don't mind," said Matt, remembering the dream, "the sooner we find that monster, the sooner we can get rid of it."

"Just because we don't know what it is doesn't make it an enemy. It was Myotismon, after all. It's not like he was good news," Sora reminded him. Matt shrugged again, then jumped aside as Patamon landed.

"That was _so_ cool!" TK shrieked, his face red from the wind. He hopped off Patamon's seat, and looked at Gennai. 

"You want to try it? It's really fun!"

"No, no," Gennai said with a small laugh, "I'm a bit too old for that sort of thing. But I would like you to ride him some more."

************

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" Gendamon called to the bushes. He couldn't see anything, but he had a distinct feeling that the Black Thing was hiding inside it. "I won't hurt you…" After another few seconds with no response, he darted forward and shot his claw into the leaves, but found nothing. He pushed the shrub aside and found, to his surprise, a clearing full of Bovinmon. They munched docilely on the grass and gave an occasional 'moo', but didn't do much else. "_There must be hundreds of them_," he thought in horror. "_How am I ever going to know which it is_?"

************

"What _are_ you laughing at?" Gomamon asked, peering at Tentomon. Tentomon chuckled for a moment longer, then closed the book he had been reading.

"It's this story Izzy told me about. Its called Othello, by some human named Shakespeare. I've never heard anything so hilarious!" So saying, he burst into another bout of laughter.

"Let me see that," said Gomamon. He snatched the book away and skimmed through it. "I don't see anything funny."

"Oh," said Tentomon, wiping tears away from his eyes, "it's there. Trust me." Gomamon frowned.

"It looks more like a tragedy to me. See? There are all these things about betrayal, and deception, and jealous-"

"Oh, come on," said Tentomon, "you can't miss it. It's all over the place."

"What is?" asked Patamon, fluttering over. Gennai and Tai had agreed to wait until the next day to begin searching, so no one had much to do at the moment.

"This book. Tentomon keeps saying how funny it is, but I don't see why."

"I've got an idea,' said Tentomon brightly, "the book is a play, so why don't we act it out? Then there'll be no way you can miss the humor. Let's see…Gomamon, you be Roderigo, Patamon can be Brabantio, and I'll be Iago."

"What's with all the O's?' Patamon asked. Tentomon shrugged and handed them each a copy of the book from Gennai's shelf.

"Okay, go ahead, Gomamon." Gomamon cleared his throat and started reading.

"Tush!" He paused. "What's a 'tush'?"

"Forget tush," said Tentomon, "just keep reading."

"Okay, okay. Tush! Never tell me? I take it much unkindly that thou, Iago, who hast my purse…" he trailed off again. 

"Now what?" Tentomon asked, exasperated.

"Roderigo is a guy, right?"

"Right…" said Tentomon hesitantly.

"So why does he have a purse?"

"Forget the purse! Look, let's just skip ahead a little. Go to page twenty-nine, and I'll be Montano, Gomamon can be the first gentleman, and Patamon can be the second gentleman." He waited while the other Digimon got to the appropriate page, began. "What from the cape can you discern at sea?"

"Nothing at all," started Gomamon, "it is a high-wrought flood. I cannot 'twixt the heaven and the main descry a sail."

"Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements…" At this, Tentomon began to snicker, "If it hath ruffened so upon the sea, what ribs of oak when mountains melt on them can hold the mortise? What shall we hear of this?" After finishing his lines, the insect collapsed in a laughing fit. Gomamon and Patamon exchanged disturbed glances, then looked back down.

"Are you all right?" Patamon asked, worried.

"Don't you get it?" Tentomon gasped, climbing to his feet. "Ruffened upon the sea? Hold the mortise?" he was met with blank stares, and shook his head in disgust. "Never mind. Just keep reading." Patamon glanced at the book, and began.

"A segregation of the Turkish fleet. For do but stand upon the foaming shore, the chidden billows seems to pelt the clouds; the wind-shooked-"

"Shaked," corrected Gomamon lightly.

"Shaked," Patamon said, "surge, with high and monstrous main seems to cast water on the burning beer-"

"Burning bear," Tentomon with a slight chuckle.

"Okay, burning _bear_," said Patamon, starting to get annoyed, "and quench the guards of th' ever-fixed pole. I never did like moles…molestated…mloes…" Gomamon laughed quietly, then stopped at Patamon's glare. 

"Molestation!" he said triumphantly. "Molestation view on the encha…um…" 

"Need a little help?" Tentomon asked, a smirk in his voice.

"No!" Patamon said quickly. "Just let me figure it out!"

"Wonder what's got him so touchy?" Gomamon whispered, holding back laughter.

"I dunno," said Tentomon, "maybe he lost his burning beer." They stared at each other for a moment, then fell over in peals laughter.

"Stop it!" Patamon shouted! "Stop it or I'll…um…" he flipped frantically through the play, "beat you into a twiggen bottle!" The two fell silent briefly, then started laughing harder than ever.

"Did you hear that?" Gomamon asked between snorts, "he's gonna layeth the Digi smackdown on us!" That got Tentomon going even harder. 

"Stop it!" he shouted. "I didn't want to read stupid old Shakesbeer anyway!"

"Shakesbeer!" Tentomon gasped, his entire body shaking. With a cry of rage, Patamon leapt on top of them. They rolled around for a few minutes until, between wrestling and laughing, the were all exhausted. They lay there panting for a moment.

"You know," said Gomamon, "that _was_ pretty funny."

"I guess it was," Patamon admitted. There was a moment of silence.

"You know," said Tentomon, "Izzy did mention that Shakespeare wrote several dozen plays." There was a sudden scramble as they all leapt for the bookcase. 

***********

__

Magician's Note: Despite how it may seem, the preceding section was not an endorsement for reading. It was, as any writer will be familiar with, one of those ideas that seemed much better at the time it was though of than it did in text. The management apologizes, and promises a free admission the next time you visit our facility.

***********

Matt shouted and sat up.

"_Where am I_?" he wondered, looking around. "_Right. Gennai's house._" He sighed with relief and laid back down, trying to get every detail of the dream before it slipped back into the darkness. "_Voice_," he thought, "_there was someone talking to me. But who_?" He sat up again and wiped his face, which was covered with sweat. He looked around, trying to get his eyes used to the dim light. At TK's request, Gennai had left on a small lamp, but it was hardly enough to see by. He slipped out of his sleeping bag and carefully stepped over the sleeping forms of the other kids, heading for the door to the garden. He closed it quietly behind him and took a deep breath.

"Going for a midnight stroll?" a voice said from behind him. He gasped and swung around. "Only me," said Retailmon, holding his hands out defensively, "no need to get excited."

"You scared me," said Matt, breathing hard. 

"I guessed. Bad dream?"

"Very," Matt agreed. "The only problem is I can never figure out why." He looked at the outline of Retailmon and something dawned on him. "Where's your smile?"

"Hmm? Oh," Retailmon brought his hand to his mouth as if checking. "I guess I forgot to turn it on."

"Turn it on?" Matt laughed. "You mean your smile is, like, gas-powered?"

"Battery, actually," he said sheepishly. "it seems to make my customers feel more comfortable." Matt considered this, then shook his head.

"I think I like you better this way. You look…I dunno, normal. To be perfectly honest, the smile is kind of creepy."

"You really think so?" Retailmon asked, astonished. "That smile belonged to my father, Salesmon. He invented it, and passed it on to me when he retired." He grinned and whispered conspiratorially, "I always thought it was creepy too." He reached up and pulled a small black cube from behind his ear. "Maybe I won't use it anymore then. It does tire my face out, to tell you the truth. Did you want to talk about your dream?" Matt shook his head.

"Nah. I can hardly remember it anyway. I guess I'll just go back to bed." Retailmon nodded.

"Well, good night then." Matt started to turn away, then paused.

"What about you?"

"I don't sleep much," said Retailmon. 

"So you're just going to stand around out here?"

"I suppose."

"Okay. G'night.."

"Good night."

************

"Hurry up hurry up hurry u---p!" Patamon shouted impatiently. "It's almost five-thirty! Are you guys gonna sleep all day?" The Digi-Destined stumbled out from the house, most of them rubbing sleep from their eyes.

"Whose idea," Tai asked, yawning, "was it to transform him this early?" Patamon was already in his Metal form and bouncing in Gennai's stream, eager to get going. The fish weren't having a good morning either.

"Mine!" TK chirped. 

"Why is it that the people you want to sleep late wake up the earliest?" Matt muttered groggily.

"I don't know," said Joe, who wasn't a morning person, "but have you ever considered the wonderful effects of Ritalin?" They bantered sleepily back and forth for a while, then fell silent as Gennai and Retailmon approached.

"All right, everyone," said Gennai, "Retailmon has the supplies needed to give all the Digimon Metal forms for the scouting missions, so who'd like to go first?" There was no response. "Anyone?"

"We don't really need them," said Biyomon finally. "We're all pretty fast."

"Yeah," agreed Palmon.

"Fine!" shouted Patamon. "But you don't know what you're missing! Come on, TK!" TK pulled on a helmet Matt had gotten from Retailmon and jumped onto his Digimon. "All right, ladies and gentlemen," shouted Patamon, revving his gigantic engines, "grab a knife and fork, cuz you're about to Eat! MY! _DUST_!" His turbines sprang to life and blew four-foot flames across the lake. Faster than anyone could blink, they were gone. There was a moment of silence.

"On second thought…" said Biyomon, "…I wouldn't mind being faster."

"Yeah," agreed Palmon.

************

"_I hate cows_," thought Gendamon. "_They smell, they're stupid, and worst of all, they--_"

"Mooo," said a Bovinmon.

"_—moo_." He reached up with his claws and pinched the cow's tail. It let out another 'moo', but nothing else happened. "_I know you're here_," he thought, "_and I know what you're up to._" He moved on to the next cow and gave its tail a twist. Another 'moo' but still no reaction. What if it wasn't even in the herd? Then he had no way of knowing how far it had gone, and he might never catch up with it. "_Maybe if I set fire to the forest…_" he smiled at the thought, then abruptly forgot it. Something was flying overhead. Something loud. He looked up and realized it was mechanical Digimon, one he had never seen before. "_I wonder if it's…?_" he dashed out of the clearing and swung himself up into the trees until he was about level with the thing. Then he spat a line of webbing onto its backside and launched himself at it. Before he could react, one of its gigantic boosters rotated and burned clean through his web. 

"What was that?" Patamon asked, looking around.

"What was what?" TK asked.

"I thought I felt something."

"Rain?"

"No, underneath me." TK turned and peered under Patamon.

"I don't see anything. What did it feel like?"

"I'm not sure. Kinda…sticky."

"Sticky?" TK asked with a frown. Below them, Gendamon growled with frustration.

"_That's not it. That's just some Rookie with a human on it._" He froze. "_Human?_ _He must be one of the Digi-Destined…_" he let this roll around in his head for a minute. "_If he's here, then the others could be close by. They'll _

spoil everything if they find it before me. There must be some way to lure them off…" he surveyed the area from his perch, then saw exactly what he was looking for.

************

"Gomamon?" Joe shouted. "I know you're having fun, but do you think we could slow down, just a little?"

"Why? Aren't _you_ having fun, Joe?" Gomamon asked, accelerating a little more.

"I get motion sick!"

"Since when?"

"Since you Digivolved into a thruster-happy jet, that's when!" Gomamon sighed and decreased his speed. "Thank you," Joe said, sighing with relief.

"Ahh!" Gomamon screamed.

"What? Did you find the monster?"

"Worse! SonicBirdramon is going faster than me!" Joe looked out the cockpit window and saw a gigantic metal bird with numerous rocket engines shoot by.

"I think you'll live," he said, and relaxed in his chair.

"No! Nobody can be faster than me! Hang on!" Joe's lips stretched back to his ears as Gomamon hit mach three.

************

Gatomon pulled out into a clearing and looked around in confusion. "What just happened?" she asked.

"You found yourself a bunch of cows," said Tai. He climbed out of the cage surrounding him and helped Agumon and Kari out. The dune buggy in front of them swiveled, rotated, and transformed itself into a robot that resembled a robotic, but vaguely humanoid, cat.

"That's going to take some getting used to," she said, blinking.

"It sure is cool to watch though," said Kari.

"It reminds me of Beast Wars," said Tai thoughtfully. "That was a good show. It's a bummer Beast Machines sucked so bad." From the bushes, the Maximals shouted their agreement.

"Okay, okay," said Gatomon, "let's try and stay on task here." She turned and glared at the author until he stopped thinking about Beast Wars, then looked back to Tai, who had taken a piece of paper from his pocket.

"All right," he said, scanning it, "according to Gennai, we're supposed to scout a two mile radius and report anything out of the ordinary."

"Does that count as un-ordianry?" Kari asked, pointing up. Tai followed her gaze and saw Gomamon and Birdramon careening through the afternoon sky.

"Nah. I guess they're just getting used to the new bodies." All the Digimon, save for Agumon and Gabumon, who already had Metal forms, had used the Edible Digivolution clips and been fairly pleased with the results. They each had a form that resembled a robotic version of their Rookie stage, as well as a vehicle mode. Gatomon glowered at the author, who was again thinking about Beast Wars.

"They're landing," said Kari. Gomamon hovered briefly above their heads, then lowered himself down in front of them. Birdramon transformed to her humanoid form on the way down since she would have needed a runway to land.

"That is _so_ cool!" shouted Gomamon. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that!"

"Me either," agreed Birdramon. A few panels on her chest slid around, and Sora exited via a ladder.

"I never though I'd be riding inside you," she told her partner. Birdramon shrugged her massive shoulders which, due to the layers of metal plates covering them, was fascinating to watch.

"It doesn't bother me. It just lets me know you're safer."

"Speaking of safer," interrupted Gatomon, "where's Kari? She was here a minute ago." Tai looked around, then turned as Kari poked her head from some bushes.

"Hey," she said excitedly, "you guys have to come see this. It's the cutest Digimon ever!" She ducked back into the grove with a rustling sound. The three others exchanged glances, then went in after her. Kari was kneeling in front of a tiny white creature. It was bizarre, mainly because it looked like a marshmallow with one small leg and a large blue eye. "Isn't it cute?" Kari asked, extending her hand toward it, then paused. "Did you just hear a voice?" she asked, turning to Tai

"Don't!" shouted Gomamon. "Metal Fishes!" The trees around them shook, then split as dozens of armored fish flew from them and pelted the white Digimon into submission. It squeaked indignantly and hopped into the shadows.

"Why'd you do that?" Kari asked, upset. "It wasn't hurting anything."

"That was a Mallowmon," said Gomamon, breathing hard. "You don't want to mess with those."

"Why not?"

"Because," said the Digimon, "they're carnivorous."

"Carnivorous?" Kari asked, and swallowed. "You mean it was gonna eat me?" Gomamon shrugged.

"Maybe a bite or two. But you don't need to get really worked up unless they're traveling in a—" From the bushes, a hoard of Mallowmon leaped out, squeaking angrily. "—pack."

"I still don't see why they're so terrible," said Tai, "I mean, Agumon could take them out with one Pepper Breath!" Gomamon, who was backing slowly away, shook his head.

"Uh-uh. No. He couldn't."

"Why?" Tai asked. His question was answered as every one of the Mallowmon rushed at them with tiny mouths, filled with needle-like teeth, snapping viciously. "Ahhh!"

"Birdramon!" Sora called, running with the others from the hungry confections. Birdramon slammed through the trees, surveyed the scene, and took an attack stance.

"_Metal Comet Hail_!" she shouted. Panels on her huge wings slid back, and spiky, red-hot balls of iron streaked toward the oncoming wave of marshmallows. Most of them melted when the attack hit, and Agumon swung around and obliterated the rest with a fireball. 

"Whew!" said Tai. "That was close." He looked over at Kari, who was staring up, but not at Birdramon or the trees. 

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard something again," she said thoughtfully. 

"Uh-oh," said Joe, "Kari's hearing voices."

"Hey, shut up," said Tai forcefully, then turned back to his sister. "What did it say?" 

"I don't think it actually _said _anything," she told him, "it was more of a…feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" She shook her head.

"I'm not quite sure. I've heard it before though…" Tai tensed up.

"When?"

"Right before Myotismon found us last time. When we met Retailmon." Tai put his hands on her small shoulders and shook her lightly.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? This could be important, Kari!"

"I'm sorry! I just didn't think it was…I thought you'd think I was going crazy."

"Why the heck would you think that?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I heard you telling Matt that you thought Mimi was nuts because she heard voices." Tai's jaw dropped, and he laughed nervously.

"How about we just keep that between us, okay? But seriously, I was just kidding about that. If you only get this right before something bad happens, then you really need to tell me!"

"Okay," she said, and nodded.

"Good. I just care about you, Kari. We're alone here, and it's important for all of us to stick together and--"

"Um, Tai?" said Agumon. "I hate to interrupt your favorite speech, but we have a problem." Tai looked over to see a huge, grotesque monster that looked exactly like a s'more step from the clearing they had found the Mallowmon in. It stared them down with glowing red eyes, and let out a bellowing roar, showing off its impressive collection of teeth.

"S'moremon!" shouted Gomamon.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Tai muttered sourly.

************

Gendamon chuckled wickedly to himself. The Digi-Destined had fallen into his trap perfectly. He was quite certain they could defeat the S'moremon, but the battle would give him the time he needed to find out which of the cows he was looking for. He made his way back to the Bovinmon and began his search again. The cows weren't enjoying it any more than he was, and he was starting to lose hope when he found it. He had just pinched the tail of an especially large and muscular bull, and it swung around to glare at him.

"Oh…" he murmured softly, "…it's you, isn't it?" The bull responded by roaring louder than any cow should be able to, and trying to bite off his head. "Not so fast!" he retorted, and dodged its gleaming fangs. The thing got a mouthful of sod which it spat aside before coming back at him. "_All right, genius,_" he thought in panic, "_you found it, now how do you get it back?_"

************

"Metal Fishes!" Gomamon shrieked. He jumped frantically aside as the monster smashed down a few trees in an attempt to get to him. Fish pelted it from all sides, but nothing seemed to happen.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!" bellowed the S'moremon.

" 'Ragh'?" said Tai. "What kind of noise is 'ragh' for a monster to make?"

"Let's discuss the merits of a good roar later!" Gatomon called. "Right now, can we concentrate on the problem at hand?"

"Right! Agumon, do it!" Tai thrust his Digivice out, and Agumon nodded.

"Agumon, Warp-Digivolve to_…_**WarGreymon**!" The destroyer immediately leapt into action, hurling a Terra Force into the S'moremon's waiting mouth. The next few minutes were extremely messy. 

************

"I don't think I've ever liked hiking," Matt said to Gabumon as they tramped through the woods. "You'd think after almost a year in the Digi-World it'd grow on me, but it hasn't."

"I don't really enjoy it that much either," said Gabumon, "my legs aren't exactly made for hiking. Plus I get all hot and sweaty."

"Maybe you'd feel better if you took your coat off once in a while?" suggested Matt. Gabumon stopped short and looked at him with horror.

"Would _you_ walk around naked?" Matt raised his eyebrows.

"I never thought of that. I guess I just figured it was something extra, not actual clothing." He paused, then said, 

"But none of the other Digimon wear anything."

"Well, can I help it if I'm the only one around with a sense of dignity? Just because I don't like to go wandering around with…Matt? Matt, are you listening?" He wasn't. "What's wrong?"

"Shh!" said Matt, holding a finger to his lips. "I think there's something in those bushes."

"What is it?"

"I don't know," he said, glaring at his partner, "but maybe if you'd be quiet, I can figure it out."

"Oh. Sorry." He was said nothing for a moment as Matt peered into the shadows.

"I'm not sure, but I think there's some kind of fight going on in there. I guess we'd better check it out. Come on."

************

"Well, that was interesting," said Sora. "I don't think I've ever been covered with marshmallow fluff and innards at the same time."

"Look on the bright side," Gomamon, then hesitated. "On second thought, there may not _be_ a bright side to being covered with innards."

"You could always be thankful that you didn't have your mouth open," said Tai, spitting. "Yuck."

************

"What the _heck_ is that?" Matt asked, staring in astonishment. Hundreds of cows filled the clearing, but that wasn't what had his attention. In very middle of the herd, the cows had vacated a circular area of grass. In this area a rather strange fight was going on, involving a gigantic black bull and a somewhat pathetic looking spider. The bull was trying alternately to crush and eat the spider, who was simply trying _not_ to be crushed or eaten. He moved quickly though, and the bull didn't seem to be having much luck.

"We have to help him!" said Gabumon. "He'll get stomped flat!"

"Right. Maybe if we help him, he can tell us where that monster we're looking for is." Matt pulled his Digivice from his belt and held it out in front of him. "Go for it!"

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…Garurumon!" The wolf leapt forward into the circle and took a swipe at the bull with his clawed paw. The bull looked up at him and gave an annoyed snort. 

"Stop fooling around!" shouted Matt. "We don't have much time!"

"_Howling Blaster_!" Garurumon roared his attack and blue energy raked forth, slamming into the bull. It looked surprised for a moment but remained standing.

"Leave it alone!" The spider shouted suddenly. "You'll ruin everything!"

"Huh?" Matt muttered. They were trying to save this thing, and it was telling them to stop. Didn't it realize how much stronger the bull was? "It'll kill you!"

"That is _not_ your concern!" retorted the spider. "I can handle this. Get lost!" Matt rolled his eyes.

"Right. Like we're just gonna leave. Garurumon, Digivolve and beat this thing!" The Digimon complied, shifting to WereGarurumon, and landed a bone-shattering punch on the bull's jaw. Its eyes rolled around for a moment, and it fell forward in an unconscious stupor. Gabumon returned to his normal size while Matt waded through the Bovinmon to the spider. It sat on the ground, legs splayed to four sides, breathing hard. "Hey, are you all right?" Matt asked. The spider looked up.

"All right?" it repeated slowly, "all right? Let me tell you something about 'all right', my friend. I have been tracking this thing for two months. That may not seem like a long time, but you don't know what I've gone through to get where I am. I have climbed mountains, wandered across deserts,sloshed through swamps…" he gave this a moment to sink in, then continued. "Then, I almost have it. All of the sudden, you show up and quite effectively _RUIN ANY CHANCE I HAVE OF GETTING IT_!" The spider panted for a moment as Matt stood in stunned silence. 

"Does that sound…'all right' to you?"

"Jeez, I'm sorry," said Matt. "I guess I thought you'd appreciate someone saving your life. Come on, Gabumon, let's go." They turned and left the grove. The instant they had gone, a familiar black dust drifted off the comatose bull and flew into the sky. Gendamon stared after it in surprise.

"_So…you didn't want them to see you. But you let me. I think I understand now…_"


End file.
